Saturday, August 25, 2012

The US Department of State's Guide to Passport and Visa Photography

Anyone who's ever gone to school, applied for a job or voted in governmental elections will have had his identification photo taken. The look of the ID picture is so fundamental that a beginner can have his taken without any instructions. However, in case of passports and visas, the State Department isn't taking any chances by making instructions plain and obvious to avoid mistakes. The US Department of State's Guide to Passport and Visa ID Photography.

The website provides a list of photograph requirements for the Visa or Passport ID photo, as well as a section for Frequently Asked Questions. The usual ID photo instructions are detailed there; the image should be in color, should be taken against a plain white background, etc. To make these instructions as clear as possible, the State Department even provides a few photo examples of these instructions.

Unfortunately, a few of these tips seem so painfully obvious that they appear comical. Still, it stands to reason that the State Department must receive several applications with these incorrect photos, otherwise they wouldn't have made this photo guide in the first place.